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See the Sunday Page A1 story to read more of Dusenberg’s war memories (with video).
As Harris Dusenbery approaches 101, he still has vivid memories of World War II. He can recall combat in the mountains of Italy, like the night of “shooting stars” he described in his book about the 10th Mountain Division.
(Actually, it was German machine gun fire, lighting up the sky with red and green tracer rounds.)
He told some of those stories Sunday in The Columbian, joining many other local veterans who have shared their WWII memories … some going back more than 75 years.
Dusenbery, however, can go back to an even earlier conflict. As part of a recent interview with The Columbian, Dusenbery described an important chapter of World War I.
“I remember Armistice Day,” he said.
Dusenbery was born on Feb. 26, 1914 — five months before WWI started on July 28, 1914; his life spans both global conflicts.
He was almost 5 years old when the armistice was signed on Nov. 11, 1918, ending hostilities. His father was a lawyer in Roundup, Mont., the seat of Musselshell County.
“I remember being in my father’s law office, on the second floor,” he said. “I remember looking out on the celebration on Main Street. People were shouting and parading on Main Street,” and he remembers a car that joined the Main Street throng.
